FRANKLIN LAKES PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Colonial Road School (201) 337-0336 desk • (201) 337-1512 fax
749 Colonial Road, Franklin Lakes, New Jersey 07417 www.franklinlakes.k12.nj.us
Christine Gagliardo
Principal
August 22, 2023
Dear CRS Proud Panda Parents,
It is with great pleasure that I write this letter to welcome you and your children to a new school year. I am hopeful that your family has had some moments of togetherness, rest and relaxation over the past few months.
As I write to you and envision our new year, I wanted to begin by thanking you for your support this summer. A simple thank you will never quite suffice for your support since losing our home, however please know that my family has felt every ounce of your shared strength, kindness and compassion. What I have learned is that when you think you may have lost most everything, if you are lucky enough to look around and see your family next to you, quickly you realize you truly have everything that matters.
So this year as we begin again together before I share all of the “Back to School” information with you, I want to kindly encourage you to do a few things, perhaps a quick summer homework assignment. As your days will soon become busy and filled with a flurry of excitement and many School To Do lists, try to take some time to slow down, even for a few moments and take stock in what matters most. Remember how lucky you are to have such wonderful children and know that together we will support each other this school year.
As we embark on this year together, I am yet again honored to have the privilege of working alongside you and your children. We remain committed to ensuring that Colonial Road School provides a learning environment with rich experiences that enhance the intellectual, social, emotional and physical development of each and every child. We will work diligently to ensure that the children enjoy many academic successes while also instilling in them a sense of motivation and purpose at our school and in the community.
I firmly believe that schools of excellence emerge as a result of the collaborative efforts of staff, students, parents and community. Perhaps one of the most important resources, and the source of most of our success here at CRS, is our dedicated and talented staff of professionals. It is my privilege to share with you our CRS staff for the upcoming school year in this link:
CRS Proud Panda Staff 2023-2024.
Enjoy the remaining days of summer with family and friends as you get excited for the new school year. The District letter from our Superintendent, Mr. Maceri, this letter, our School Handbook, and the PTA Back To School Packet provide you with the opportunity to get ready for the school year at your own pace. All of the information can be overwhelming, but our intent is to provide you with as much information as possible to get every child set up for success this school year. Setting up your child for a successful school year is one of the most important things we can do together. The entire CRS staff is busy getting ready to welcome students back on our first day of school, Wednesday, September 6th, 2023.
PTA Packet
The PTA has been working hard to put together wonderful programs and provide a great deal of information about the programs that they run, including before and after school programming as well as our school lunch program:
Opening Day Student Drop Off Procedures for K-5 Students
The first day of school is an exciting one for both parents and students. To ensure that our opening day drop off is smooth and safe, we are asking that families follow our regular arrival procedures. That being said, we will have special support in place for our Kindergarten students and our new families to ensure a fabulous first day.
Kindergarten
Kindergarten students will gather in front of the school with their teacher (in the outdoor courtyard by the MPR). After a parent pulls their car up in our car line in front of the school, kindergarten students should exit their vehicle independently and/or with the support of one of our staff members on morning duty and follow the yellow cones to the designated area for our Kindergarten students to meet with their teacher and friends. Our Kindergarten teachers will have a big sign that says “Kindergarteners Meet Here”. It will be the only place where students are gathered so it will be easy to find. Please review this with your child and do not plan on getting out of your vehicle to help your child. We are here to help and are well trained to do so. Each Kindergarten teacher will also be there with their class list to make sure each child goes with their assigned teacher. We will use this procedure for Wednesday (9/6) and Thursday (9/7) and then transition to having the children walk to the door themselves with the support of our staff members on duty. You can support your child by explaining this process to him or her and are welcome to come drive through the parking lot next week to practice before school begins.
New Students Grades 1-5
New families to CRS need not worry as all of our staff members on duty have been learning your child(ren)’s names and are stationed outside with class lists to support your child in getting exactly where they need to go. You can support your child by sharing this information with them and by reminding them to introduce themselves and ask for help when they get out of their car upon arrival.
School Supplies
We also wanted to take this opportunity to remind you not to worry about all the school supplies that you might want your child to bring to school. If you did not pre order supplies through our PTA kindly send your child with supplies, pack them in a bag with handles, labeled with your child’s name and grade. If a staff member takes the bag to help your child out, we will make sure it gets delivered promptly to their classroom. We always make sure everyone has what they need and we are here to help.
Arrival: 8:45 AM
Dismissal: 3:15 PM
Delayed Opening: 90 Minute Delay, Arrival is 10:15 AM
Minimum Day Dismissal: 1:00 PM
Please note that the first bell rings at 8:45 A.M. This is our “open for business” bell and the one around which you want to arrange your schedule. Please plan to drop your child at school between 8:40 A.M. and 8:45 A.M. This will ensure that your child is ready to enter the building when the first bell rings and is seated in his/her classroom and ready to start the day when the late bell rings. Please do not drop your child off before 8:40 A.M. as we do not have any supervision in place until that time. You are welcome to arrive early and remain with your child in your car on the car line so that they are ready to hop out once supervision is in place.
Tardy Students
Any children that arrive after 8:50 A.M. will need to be escorted to the main entrance by a parent/ adult dropping them off at school. Please safely park your car in the lot and ring the bell at the main entrance and sign your child in our Tardy Book.
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
If you are using the car line to pick up your children each day at 3:15 please plan to arrive promptly so that our children can be dismissed safely and efficiently with proper supervision in place. Although it might be tempting to wait until our car line has eased up a bit before picking up your child, we ask that you arrive promptly with the understanding that we are working diligently to dismiss safely while being as efficient as possible.
A thorough description of our arrival and dismissal procedures are detailed in this link:
CRS Arrival and Dismissal Procedures 2023-2024 and in our CRS Handbook
All families will receive family name signs on the first day of school. Please check your child’s backpack and call the main office if you did not receive your family name signs. If you need additional signage for other persons authorized to pick up your child(ren), please let the main office know. Be sure to update Genesis if you are authorizing someone else to pick up your child. Please complete this Daily Dismissal Form for each child that will attend Colonial Road School prior to the first day of school. This allows us to safely dismiss your child.
Lunch and more…
All students should bring lunch, a snack and a water bottle each day. Students can refill their water bottle throughout the day. The PTA offers opportunities to purchase lunch for your convenience. Please see the Back to School Packet linked above for this information.
Class Placement
A great deal of time, effort and thought has gone into the process of student placement for the school year. Your child’s class placement will be available through Genesis for this school year on Friday, August 25th. Careful consideration was given to input from staff and families as well as student learning styles. Classrooms have been balanced academically and socially. Our class lists are structured to provide equitable class sizes at each grade level. Moving students is difficult without causing imbalances and inequities. Thank you so much for being positive with your child and helping him or her understand that it is impossible to place all students with a preferred best friend or teacher. Our CRS family works hard to make school a positive experience for each and every student. Thank you for understanding that it can take a few weeks for a child to acclimate to a new grade, peer group and teacher. You will receive a welcome letter from your child’s teacher prior to the first day of school.
Required School Forms in Genesis
As a reminder, parents and guardians are expected to update any contact information, including emergency contact information, and fill out the required forms online in Genesis Parent Resources. Please be sure to also check your child’s “Documents” tab which will provide further information, if the student has been identified for supplemental Gifted & Talented services.
Parents/Guardians will not have access to class placement information without completing these updates and forms.
Important Reminders about Genesis:
Please log into Genesis Parent Resources at https://parents.franklinlakes.k12.nj.us
If you have any questions please email [email protected]
Pediculosis (Lice) Checks
With summer camps and other overnight experiences children may easily pick up lice, regardless of how clean they might be. Please note that the District uses an experienced vendor to screen all elementary school students in early September.
Communication
Please be sure to update your contact information in Genesis so that you can continue to receive important information. We regularly use email, voicemail, and text messaging through our automated system so it is critical that your contact information is up to date. If you find that you are not receiving information, please contact the main office so that we may assist you. Carefully reviewing our e-blasts is the best way to stay informed regarding our school events. If you ever have questions regarding future school events, please feel free to reach out to us for clarification. Additionally, our PTA sends out information about PTA events via e-blasts. Our CRS PTA website and PTA Memberhub has a wealth of information so be sure to join the PTA so that you can access this information.
Back to School Night
Please mark your calendars for our Back-To-School Night on Wednesday, September 27th at 7:00 P.M.
CRS Handbook
Almost everything you need to know is located here, please continue to refer to this information as needed.
Last but certainly not least, an essential component of the success we will continue to share together this year is our dedicated and passionate parent community. I look forward to forging and sustaining partnerships with you as we work together to ensure success for your children. As we embark on another year together, I want to take a moment to extend a sincere heartfelt thank you to all of you.
I want to assure you that our CRS family will not only accept your children for who they are, but will also provide them with a home away from home. We thank you in advance for sharing your children with us and we look forward to spending the school year with them. I look forward to seeing all of you very soon and to welcoming back our returning families and meeting our new families.
Warm Regards,
Christine Gagliardo